Poultry Association today donated Rs 10 lakh to push the green drive, the flagship program of the Telangana State government being implemented to increase forest cover to 33 per cent.
At a Haritha Haram program, Finance Minister Etala Rajender, Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav and officials on Sunday participated in the program and planted a few saplings. The program is being conducted with a slogan of “green drive for better future” and the Poultry Association leaders came forward to support the cause of green expansion in the State and handed over a cheque for Rs 10 lakh to the ministers towards their contribution for the program.
Speaking on the occasion, the ministers said the TRS government under the able stewardship of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was giving top priority for green drive to achieve the goal of enhancing green cover to 33 per cent over five years by planting 230 crore saplings. As part of the target, it was decided to plant 46 crore saplings a year across the State and the drive was getting huge response, they maintained. The people’s participation is good and it is time for the leaders to coordinate with officials to ensure that the green drive reaches its target, they noted.
The ministers also stressed the need for protecting the saplings by providing tree guards and meshes enabling them to grow to become trees and fight pollution. Besides giving shade, fruits and flowers, the plants and trees will attract rains and get abundant waters in the lakes and ponds to boost irrigation and farm sectors. The ministers also promised that the government will help the poultry industry sustain in the State. (NSS)